Group Wants to Oust Tenn. GOP head

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A group seeking to deny incumbent U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander another term in office is pushing to oust the head of Tennessee's Republican Party.

The tea party group Beat Lamar demanded last week that Chairman Chris Devaney resign. Beat Lamar says Devaney violated party bylaws by signing a fundraising letter that appeared to assume Alexander would be the GOP nominee in the 2014 general election

Staffers at GOP headquarters told The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/169bKoj) the letter was drafted before state Rep. Joe Carr, R-Lascassas, announced in August that he'd take on Alexander.

Beat Lamar is now pledging to hold a series of public "conversations" in each of the 33 executive committee districts.

The group says it will start on Oct. 5 and plans to finish by the end of the year.